Yamashita Tomoyuki
8 November 1885 - 23 February 1946
General Yamashita Tomoyuki
Nickname	The Tiger of Malaya
Place of birth	Kōchi prefecture, Japan
Place of death	Manila, Philippines
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service	1905 -1945
Rank	General
Commands held	IJA 4th Division, IJA 25th Army, IJA 1st Army, IJA 14th Area Army
Battles/wars	Second Sino-Japanese War World War II

In this Japanese name, the family name is Yamashita. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> is a prefecture of Japan located on the south Coast of Shikoku. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The City of Manila The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku The Imperial Japanese Army ( IJA) ( Kyūjitai: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国陸軍 Romaji: Dai-Nippon Teikoku The Second Sino-Japanese War ( July 7, 1937 to September 9, 1945) was a major war fought between the Republic of China and the World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including in modern times usually consist of a Family name ( Surname) followed by a Given name. A family name or last name is a type of Surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs

General Yamashita Tomoyuki (山下 奉文, Yamashita Tomoyuki^?, 8 November 1885 - 23 February 1946) was a general of the Japanese Imperial Army during the World War II. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Imperial Japanese Army ( IJA) ( Kyūjitai: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国陸軍 Romaji: Dai-Nippon Teikoku World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including He was most famous for conquering the British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, earning the nickname The Tiger of Malaya. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. The Battle of Malaya was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from December 8 1941 to January 31 The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold

Biography

Early life and career

Yamashita was born the son of a local doctor in Osugi village, in what is now part of Ōtoyo village, Kōchi prefecture, Shikoku. is a town located in Nagaoka District, Kochi, Japan. As of 2003, the town has an estimated Population of 5903 and a density WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> is a prefecture of Japan located on the south Coast of Shikoku. is the smallest (225 km long and between 50 and 150 km wide and least populous (4141955 as of 2005 of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū He attended military preparatory schools as a youth. After graduating from the 18th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1905, he attended the 28th class of the Army War College between 1913 and 1916. The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. This article deals with the Empire of Japan's Army War College

Between 1919 and 1921, as a captain, Yamashita was posted to Berlin and Bern as military attaché. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. The city of Berne or Bern (, Berne, Berna, Romansh: Berna, Bernese German: Bärn) is the Bundesstadt ( Federal A military attaché is a Military Expert who is part of a Diplomatic mission; this post is normally filled by a high-ranking officer

On his return to Japan, he was posted to administrative departments within the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff, where he unsuccessfully promoted a military reduction plan. also called the Army General Staff was one of the four principal agencies charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army. Despite his ability, Yamashita fell into disfavor as a result of his involvement with adverse political factions within the Japanese military. As a leading member of the "Imperial Way" group, he became a rival to Hideki Tojo and other members of the "Control Faction". After the February 26 Incident of 1936, he also fell into disfavor with Emperor Hirohito due to his appeal for leniency toward the rebel officers involved in the attempted coup. The, or "2-2-6 incident", was an attempted Coup d'état in Japan, on 26 – 29 February 1936, launched by the radical also known as, (April 29 1901 – January 7 1989 was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order reigning from December 25 1926 until his death

Early war years

Yamashita insisted that Japan should end the conflict with China and keep peaceful relations with the United States and Great Britain, but he was ignored and subsequently assigned to an unimportant post in the Kwantung Army. The Second Sino-Japanese War ( July 7, 1937 to September 9, 1945) was a major war fought between the Republic of China and the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The, also known as the Guandong Army ( 관동군 was an Army group of the Imperial Japanese Army in the early twentieth century From 1938 to 1940, he was assigned to command the IJA 4th Division which saw some action in northern China against Chinese insurgents fighting the occupying Japanese armies. The was an Infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call-sign was (from the Yodo River)

In December of 1940, Yamashita was sent on a clandestine military mission to Germany and Italy, where he met with Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. The ClanDestine (also known simply as ClanDestine) is a Comic book series about the Destines a secret family of long-lived Superhuman Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Kingdom of Italy ( Italian: Regno d'Italia) was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately

Malaya and Singapore

Main articles: Battle of Malaya and Battle of Singapore

Lt Gen Yamashita Tomoyuki (seated, centre) thumps the table with his fist to emphasise his demand for unconditional surrender. The Battle of Malaya was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from December 8 1941 to January 31 The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold Lt Gen Percival sits between his officers, his clenched hand to his mouth (Photo from Imperial War Museum). Lieutenant General Arthur Ernest Percival CB, DSO and Bar, OBE, MC, OStJ, DL, (26 December 1887

On 6 November 1941, Yamashita was put in command of the Twenty-Fifth Army. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, noted for its role in the Battle of Malaya and Battle of Singapore. On 8 December, he launched an invasion of Malaya, from bases in French Indochina. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. The Battle of Malaya was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from December 8 1941 to January 31 First French interventions See also France-Vietnam relations France-Vietnam relations started as early as the 17th century with the mission of the Jesuit In the campaign, which concluded with the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942, Yamashita's 30,000 front-line soldiers captured 130,000 British, Indian and Australian troops, the largest surrender of British-led personnel in history. The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Surrender is when Soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and become Prisoners of war, either as He became known as the "Tiger of Malaya".

The campaign and the subsequent Japanese occupation of Singapore included war crimes committed against captive Allied personnel and civilians, such as the Alexandra Hospital and Sook Ching Massacres. The Japanese occupation of Singapore was the period in the History of Singapore between 1942 and 1945 when Japanese forces occupied Singapore during War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold The Sook Ching massacre (肅清大屠殺 was a systematic Extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore by the Japanese military Yamashita's culpability for these events remains a matter of controversy, as some argued that he had failed to prevent them, though he had the officer who instigated the hospital massacre and some soldiers caught looting executed for these acts, and he personally apologised to the surviving patients. Looting ( Hindi lūṭ akin to Sanskrit luṭhati steals also Latin latro, latronis [1]

Manchuria

On 17 July 1942, Yamashita was reassigned from Singapore to far-away Manchuria, again having been given a post in commanding the Japanese First Army, and was effectively sidelined for a major part of the Pacific War. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Manchuria ( Romanized Manchu: Manju,, Маньчжурия Mongolian: Манж is a historical name given to a vast geographic region in northeast The Japanese First Army was formed 26 August 1937 commanding troops in North China under Northern China Area Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Pacific War was the part of World War II —and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands and in East Asia, between

It is thought that Prime Minister Tojo was responsible for his banishment, taking advantage of Yamashita's gaffe during a speech made to Singaporean civilian leaders in early 1942, when he referred to the local populace as "citizens of the Empire of Japan". The is the usual English-language term used for the Head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Prime Singapore A civilian under International humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her Country 's Armed forces. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku This was considered embarrassing for the Japanese government, who officially did not consider the residents of occupied territories to have the rights or privileges of Japanese citizenship. Occupied territories is a Term of art in International law. In accordance with Article 42 of the Laws and Customs of War on Land (Fourth Hague Convention October

The Philippines

Main article: Philippines campaign (1944–45)

In 1944, when the war situation was critical for Japan, Yamashita assumed the command of the Fourteenth Area Army to defend the Philippines. The Philippines campaign of 1944–45 was the Allied campaign to defeat Japanese forces occupying The Philippines, during World War II. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP The U.S. Army landed on Leyte on October 20, only ten days after Yamashita's arrival at Manila. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Leyte (ˈleɪti in English is an Island in the Visayas group of the Philippines. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony On 6 January 1945 the Sixth U.S. Army landed at Lingayen Gulf in Luzon. Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The Sixth United States Army was a Field army of the United States Army The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching. Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important Island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country with Visayas

Yamashita commanded approximately 262,000 troops in three defensive groups. He tried to rebuild his army but was forced to retreat from Manila to the mountains of northern Luzon. The City of Manila Yamashita ordered all troops, except those tasked with security, out of the city.

Almost immediately, Rear Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi re-occupied Manila with 16,000 sailors, with the intent of destroying all port facilities and naval storehouses. Rear admiral is a Naval Commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. Once there, Iwabuchi took command of the 3,750 Army security troops, and against Tomoyuke's specific order, turned the city into a battlefield. The Battle for Manila from 3 February to 3 March 1945, fought by American, Filipino and Japanese forces was part ^[1] The actions of the Japanese garrison resulted in the deaths of more than 100,000 Filipino civilians, in what would be later known as the Manila Massacre, during the fierce street fighting for the capital which raged from February 4 to March 3. Garrison (various spellings (from the French garnison, itself from the verb garnir, "to equip" is the collective term for a body of Troops Filipinos or the Filipino people are the citizens of the Philippines. The Manila massacre refers to the February 1945 atrocities conducted against Filipino civilians in Manila, Philippines by retreating Japanese Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian

Yamashita used delaying tactics to maintain his army in Kiangan, (part of the Ifugao Province), until 2 September 1945, after the surrender of Japan. Kiangan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. This article refers to the province For other uses see Ifugao (disambiguation. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The surrender of Japan in August 1945 brought World War II to a close His forces, by then reduced to less than 50,000 by the tough campaigning of the British-Indian army, were ironically compelled to surrender to the allies in the form of General Arthur Percival, the man he had humiliated after the fall of Singapore. When Percival refused to shake Yamashita's hand, angered by the exterminationist tactics the Japanese general had employed against Allied prisoners of war, Yamashita burst into tears. Although Yamashita might have been expected to commit suicide prior to this surrender, he reportedly explained his decision not to kill himself by saying that if he did "someone else will have to take the blame. is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by Disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for Samurai. "^[2]

Trial and controversy

General Yamashita Tomoyuki at his trial in Manila, November 1945

From 29 October to 7 December 1945, an American military tribunal tried General Yamashita for war crimes relating to the Manila Massacre and sentenced him to death. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar A military tribunal is a kind of Military Court designed to try members of enemy forces during Wartime operating outside the scope of conventional War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied This case has become a precedent regarding the command responsibility for war crimes and is known as the Yamashita Standard. Command responsibility, sometimes referred to as the Yamashita standard or the Medina standard, is the doctrine of hierarchical accountability in cases of Command responsibility, sometimes referred to as the Yamashita standard or the Medina standard, is the doctrine of hierarchical accountability in cases of

During his trial, the defense attorneys who challenged Douglas MacArthur deeply impressed General Yamashita with their dedication to the case, and reaffirmed his respect for his former enemies. An attorney at law (or attorney-at-law) in the United States is a practitioner in a court of law who is legally qualified to prosecute General MacArthur redirects here for other meanings see General MacArthur (disambiguation. American lawyer Harry E. Clarke, Sr. , then a U. S. Army colonel, served as chief counsel for the defense, even going so far as to appeal the decision of the military commission to the U.S. Supreme Court, which affirmed the conviction by a vote of 7-2, with Justices Frank Murphy and Wiley Blount Rutledge each writing strong dissenting opinions. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country A counsel or a counsellor gives advice more particularly in legal matters The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. William Francis (Frank Murphy ( April 13, 1890 July 19, 1949) was a Politician and Jurist from Michigan. Wiley Blount Rutledge Jr ( July 20, 1894 - September 10, 1949) was a U

The legitimacy of the hasty trial was questioned by many at the time, including U. S. Supreme Court Justice Murphy, who protested various procedural issues, the inclusion of hearsay evidence, and the general lack of professional conduct by the prosecuting officers. The considerable body of evidence that Yamashita did not have ultimate command responsibility over all military units in the Philippines (such as the Imperial Japanese Navy units at the Battle of Manila) was not allowed in court. For Combined Fleet, please see that article For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article ^[3]

Death

Following the Supreme Court decision, an appeal for clemency was made to U. A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it S. President Harry S. Truman. The President, however, declined to act and thereby left the matter entirely in the hands of the military. In due time, General MacArthur announced that he had confirmed the sentence of the Commission.

On 23 February 1946, at Los Baños Prison Camp, 30 miles (48 km) south of Manila, Tomoyuki Yamashita was hanged. Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. After climbing the steps leading to the gallows, he was asked if he had a final statement. A gallows is a frame typically wooden used for execution by Hanging. To this Yamashita replied through a translator:

Yamashita was an imposing figure, with a prominent part of his uniform being a pair of black riding boots with spurs cast from gold. Riding boots are Boots made to be used for horseback riding. The classic boot comes high enough up the leg to prevent the leathers of the Saddle from On the day he was sentenced to death, General Yamashita presented them to his American attorney, Major George F. Guy, as a gift.

His chief of staff in the Philippines, Akira Mutō, was executed on December 1948 after having been found guilty of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. The chief of staff is the chief aide to the Commander of larger military Formations and Units It is sometimes the case that the chief of staff is more directly was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

Personal life

Yamashita married the daughter of Japanese General Nagayama in 1916. They did not have any children.

He enjoyed fishing, music and despite numerous opportunities, decided not to learn how to drive an automobile, preferring to ride instead.

Things named after Yamashita

• Yamashita standard
• Yamashita's gold

References

1. ^ John Toland, The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire 1936-1945, Random House, 1970, p. Command responsibility, sometimes referred to as the Yamashita standard or the Medina standard, is the doctrine of hierarchical accountability in cases of Yamashita's gold, also referred to as the Yamashita treasure, is the name given to the alleged Loot stolen in Southeast Asia by Japanese forces 677
2. ^ General Tomoyuki Yamashita, page 3, Nat Helms, originally in World War II Magazine, February 1996, verified 2006-09-16
3. ^ Barber, The Yamashita Trial Revisited

• CASE NO. 21; TRIAL OF GENERAL TOMOYUKI YAMASHITA; UNITED STATES MILITARY COMMISSION, MANILA, (8TH OCTOBER-7TH DECEMBER, 1945), AND THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES (JUDGMENTS DELIVERED ON 4TH FEBRUARY, 1946). Source: Law Reports of Trials of War Criminals. Selected and Prepared by the United Nations War Crimes Commission. Volume IV. London: HMSO, 1948. Document compiled by Dr S D Stein, Faculty of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences University of the West of England
• Aubrey Saint Kenworthy, The Tiger of Malaya: The story of General Tomoyuki Yamashita and "Death March" General Masaharu Homma, Exposition Press, 1951
• Reel, A. was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He is noteworthy for his role in the invasion and occupation of the Philippines during World War II in which he earned the nick-name Frank. The Case of General Yamashita. The University of Chicago Press, 1949.
• Taylor, Lawrence. A Trial of Generals. Icarus Press, Inc, 1981.
• Yoji, Akashi. 'General Yamashita Tomoyuki: Commander of the 25th Army', in Sixty Years On:The Fall of Singapore Revisited. Eastern Universities Press, 2002.

Further reading

• The Defense of General Yamashita by George F. Guy, one of the defenders of General Yamashita
• WW2DB: Tomoyuki Yamashita with a private collection of photographs of Yamashita
• Last Words of the Tiger of Malaya, General Yamashita Tomoyuki by Yuki Tanaka, research professor at the Hiroshima Peace Institute (Tanaka's commentary is followed by the full text of Yamashita's statement).
• Laurie Barber The Yamashita War Crimes Trial Revisited from Issue 2, Volume 1, September 1998 The Electronic Journal of Military History within the History Department at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

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